Hugh Grant was honored by BAFTA – the British film organization, and he was interviewed at a big event in London on Saturday night. The conversation was filled with funny anecdotes about this work in film.

“For a little over an hour on Saturday evening, he charmed the audience at BAFTA headquarters as he reflected on his career beginning with 1987’s James Ivory-directed Maurice — and through to such classics as Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About A Boy and more. The actor also touched on Nine Months, the film that was about to release when he was arrested for lewd conduct in 1995.”

Yes, Grant opens up about that sordid event in his life, and he was also full of great anecdotes, like when he did a slew of bad movies early in his career, leading to the film that changed this life:

As Deadline.com reports:

“When Grant finally received the script for Four Weddings And A Funeral, he rang his agent: “I think there’s been a mistake, you’ve sent me a really good script.” Auditioning, he said, director Mike Newell “seemed to quite liked me” and writer Richard Curtis “seemed to want me dead.”

The Actor then explains why:

“Curtis had written the part of Charles “in his own image and when I waltzed in, he didn’t think I was him; and he was right. The bottom line is, it was Richard. Once I met him, I played him basically.” Also, he noted, “They wanted to give me the worst haircut in the world — and it backfired on them all because it became a haircut that was copied.”

But it was a smash hit, as was the hair, and he was on his way in films such as “Notting Hill”, “Love Actually” for Richard Curtis, as well as the great film “About A Boy.” He also speaks candidly about his arrest for lewd conduct with Divine Brown.

The Deadline.com story is filled with great anecdotes, always delivered with a “Hugh Grant” style:

“Asked if there was ever any question that he play Colin Firth’s character Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones movies, Grant deadpanned, “Generally speaking, I should play all of Colin’s parts, really. And I think Colin knows that, too.”

One last great story:

“Turning back to his role in Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins, for which he received BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations, Grant said working with Streep was “intimidating… She’s a genius because she’s absolutely dedicated and ruthless. She talks that way about acting: ‘I will never do a scene in which I’m not emotionally present.’ And I thought, ‘Well, f***, I’ve done thousands.’”

Great reporting by Deadline.com, read the entire article, with the Divine Brown story, here:

8 replies

I remember a time when it felt like there would only be one type of role for him but then Daniel Cleaver opened him up to audiences as being a different character he could play. I think he’s a talent capable of much.

Everybody always wants to put people in a box, I remember them talking about how Mickey Blue Eyes was a return to form. Then in Bridget Jones they were like oh he does this well too. I felt like he’d clearly done different characters before and was fine even if the films weren’t perfect. It’s like how everybody was with Jim Carrey after The Truman Show but I’d seen him Doing Time on Maple Drive and knew he could do serious.

And he is “semi-retired”, partly because he says it’s not inspiring to him, so when a good role shows up, he responds…not sure if you ever saw “About A Boy:, which is great, but he’s says that’s the character most like himself…

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